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iPhone 5 AT&T data usage spike (same as Verizon)

I am having the same issue with my iPhone 5. After 8 days of owning the phone I have used 75% of my data. Funny thing is when I am connected to WIFI overnight, I get hit with data usage of 10-15 mb. I know its not alot compared to other people, but the only thing I have pushed onto my phone is email. When will Apple address this issue with AT&T?

iPhone 5, iOS 6

Posted on Oct 2, 2012 9:46 AM

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133 replies

Oct 2, 2012 4:55 PM in response to Rayne88

I'm on AT&T and I've already over my 5gb limit.. I don't know if it's the LTE connection but I have never went over 3gb b4 and its only been 10 days and I'm already being throttled. I don't stream movies or music and I'm on wifi most of the time... Something is wrong with the way it's reading my data or the software.

Oct 4, 2012 8:50 AM in response to Rayne88

I, too, am having problems with my usage. In the last two days, I have used 300+ MB. My average MONTHLY usage for the last two years is under 600 MB. Notably, I have been on wifi all morning, but my cell data usage has gone up ~100 MB. Might this be related to the Verizon issue:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/01/iphone-5-data-apple-verizon-fix-bug-ove rages_n_1930180.html?utm_hp_ref=technology

Oct 5, 2012 10:21 AM in response to Rayne88

I have also had the same problem. I have had my iPhone 5 since October 3rd (Wednesday), I activated it around 2:30pm on the 3rd. My billing cycle just started on the 30th of September. So far I have used 6.1GB according to AT&T. I typically use less than 1GB every month with my Nokia Lumia. I've had an iPhone before on AT&T and never went over 5GB. AT&T told me they are aware of the glitch and will be taking care of it for me at the end of the month but I an concerned because the usage keeps going up astronomically. I feel like I will have to fight with them to correct it at the end of the month. Also, I've noticed usage on my phone in the early morning when I'm sleeping. Not sure what's going on there since I manually close all of my applications religiously.


I was also on the phone with Apple for about 30-45 minutes troubleshooting but they didn't have any idea what was going on and suggested turning off cellular data, which is extremely inconvenient.


Anybody get different feedback?

Oct 5, 2012 2:31 PM in response to Rayne88

User uploaded file

This was 8 days after i bought my iPhone 5. Its went up to 7gbs until i decided to return it a few days ago. I have connected to wifi whenever possible, turned off location services, did not tether, and did not have any other apps that would use data installed. That is just rediculous! I have had all previous iphones and never once have I reached my monthly cap. Notice this is data being SENT, I don't recall sending that many pictures, email, or videos.

Oct 5, 2012 9:41 PM in response to Rayne88

User uploaded file

I called AT&T after I received numerous texts and emails notifying me about my usage. With my iPhone4 I would rarely hit 1gb of data usage... I'd say on average between 700-950mb of data whenever I check my bill. Since upgrading to an iPhone5 I've used nearly 1gb of data? In two weeks?!


The rep I spoke to at AT&T was certain I had been using my phone more than usual. Honestly, I use my phone to text, the occasional phone call, Instagram and Facebook, not much more. It's always on WiFi at home, so there's no way I could've gone through that much data in two weeks. His response was "Your billing cycle starts over tomorrow so you'll be ok..."


I told him it wasn't going to solve my problem, but there wasn't much he could do apparently. So I called Apple, they had me check for a software update, which for AT&T isn't available and decided to open a case for me that I'm still awaiting and update on.


He also instructed me to turn off LTE when I'm home. Since I spoke with them I've noticed that overnight my data goes up by about 10-15mb which is odd because it's been on WiFi when I'm at home. I hope this problem gets solved soon since my 2gb usage cap will surely run out before month's end.

Oct 7, 2012 9:07 AM in response to Rayne88

I've been having the exact same problem. I live in an area that does not have LTE coverage, so I turned that off. Usually, I never come close to even hitting 65% of my 2GB data plan. However, upon getting my iPhone 5, I not only exceeded the plan, but I used an additional gigabyte. I called AT&T, and the rep I spoke to actually helped me a lot. He listed a few tips that will cut down data usage:

-Turn off "Anonymous Data Collection" in Settings>General>About>Diagnostics and Usage>"Don't Send"

-Turn off "Location Services" in Settings>Privacy. There are ON/OFF switches for apps that request your location, and the only apps that I allowed to use location services were obvious essentials like Siri, Maps, and Weather.

-Turn off LTE (Settings>General>Cellular) if you are in an area that does not provide LTE coverage.

-For those with iTunes Match, make sure that you go to Settings>Music and turn OFF "use cellular data" in the iTunes Match settings section.


If this is not making a noticeable difference, turn off your data and call AT&T. Yes, it is inconvenient to do so, but AT&T definitely won't be refunding you or feeling any sympathy because your iPhone 5 is a data hog.

Oct 8, 2012 9:09 PM in response to Rayne88

I suspect a bug in iOS6 that is not switching from cellular to wifi properly. In pre-GM release, there was this item called "cellular + wifi" and it had a toggle. That toggle was removed after GM. That was meant to fix when wifi does not work, switch to cellular, which is all good BUT when you are stuck on cellular, even in a wifi environment .. then that justs kills your data allowance.


FIX THIS APPLE!! I am being charged overages by AT$$$T and I work and live around wifi 24/7 !!

Oct 8, 2012 11:37 PM in response to joeho717

I read it was Apples new Map App uploading data to Apple when on 3G/4G instead of only when on wifi, mind You I do not even know what analytics They are acquiring but Cook did mention it during keynote. The thread also suggested this was causing a serious battery drain and Only Apple can fix. Hope this helps and sorry if its already been said in the above thread.

iPhone 5 AT&T data usage spike (same as Verizon)

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